Mt Barney Lodge is hosting its 2nd Annual Bird Week from the 7th – 12th September 2010. I’m pleased to announce that I will be one of their guest presenters on Saturday 11th, where I will be presenting an audio-visual on bird photography as well as an in-the-field workshop on the same subject. If you would like more information on this great event, click here or phone Mt Barney Lodge on (07) 5544 3233.

On Monday 19th July 2010, I was guest presenter at the monthly meeting of the Aspley Camera Club. My audio-visual was on nature photography and it was great to see so many club members and guests attend. Later in the evening, I also hosted a question and answer session. To find out about more about the Aspley Camera Club, click here

From Sunday 29th May 2010 until Friday 11th June 2010, Trekabout Photography Workshops hosted our inaugural 5 day “Red Centre Experience” photo workshops. We ran them back-to-back, with a 2 day break in between, to twenty-one very enthusiastic participants. Our first workshop had thirteen photographers and our second one had 8 – from all the feedback we received, everyone had an absolute ball! With more rainfall over the previous months that most yearly averages, the “Centre” was looking very green and lush. Set amongst the rich red soil and rock and deep blue skies, the landscapes were stunning wherever we went (and photographed!). Some of the places we spent time at include the fabulous Desert Park in Alice Springs, Trephina Gorge, Jessie and Emily Gap, Kata Tjuta and of course, Uluru. I totally fell in love with the “Red Centre” and can’t wait to go back next year!

As soon as our Red Centre photo workshops were over, I flew straight back to Brisbane to participate in the PSQ2010 Photography Convention, being held over the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend. I manned an exhibitor’s stall for 2 days, promoting Trekabout Photography Workshops as well as my new half day and full day “One-on-One with Michael” photography tuition sessions. I also presented an audio-visual on rainforests on Sunday afternoon and 3 back-to-back macro workshops on Monday afternoon. A huge congrats to all at Brisbane Camera Group (BCG) who were involved in making this convention one of the best on record!

The June 2010 issue of Wingspan Magazine (Bird’s Australia) has my photo of a White Tern flying on the cover. To see the cover, click here

Throughout autumn, I spent a decent amount of time in various rainforests along the east coast of Australia, taking photos for my up-and-coming audio visual presentation at the PSQ (Photographic Society of Queensland) Photography Convention, to be held over the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend. After some of the best rains in years, it was good to see so many varieties of fungi flourishing, waterfalls full and lots of green, lush mosses.

I also stayed for 3 days at the delightful Mt Barney Lodge, as a guest of owners Tracey and Innes Larkin. Situated at the base of beautiful Mt Barney, the Lodge offers various types of accommodation, from camping to cosy cottage-style houses. I did lots of relaxing as well as some photography of the area. For more information about the Lodge, please visit http://www.mtbarneylodge.com.au

The Photographic Society of Queensland’s (PSQ) Annual Photography Convention, hosted by the Brisbane Camera Group, will be held over the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend (Sat 14th June – Mon 16th June 2010) at the Riverglenn Convention Centre in Indooroopilly, Queensland. I’m pleased to announce that I’m one of the presenters this year, my audio-visual titled “Australian Rainforests – a breathtaking photographic odyssey”. I will also be presenting a hands-on nature photography workshop.   On Sunday and Monday, I will be manning a stall at the convention, selling signed copies of my book, “Wildlife of Australia – a nature photographer’s journey” as well as promoting both Trekabout Photography Workshops and my new “one-on-one” photography tuition sessions. If you are planning to attend the convention, come on over and say hi! To read more about the convention, click on this link PSQ2010

The March 2010 edition of Australian Photography Magazine features my 5 page article on macro photography, titled “Macro Magic”. To view the article, click on this link “Macro Magic”

The March 2010 edition of Wingspan Magazine (Bird’s Australia) features my 3 page article on the Albert’s Lyrebird, titled “Albert’s Lyrebird: Showman Extraordinaire”. To view the article, click on this link “Albert’s Lyrebird: Showman Extraordinaire”.

South-east Queensland has been experiencing one of its wettest seasons in many years, so fungi in the rainforest has been thriving. I have been enjoying getting out into the rainforest again and doing quite a bit of macro photography of late. One of the best experiences was while in Lamington National Park at the end of February, photographing the stunning luminous fungi in the pitch-black forest, late at night. Exposures were quite long and I had to do a bit of trial-and-error with times, but end results were some bright, sharp and glowing fungi.

Trekabout Photography Workshops also presented their fourth successful 5 day “Mountain Experience” photography workshop towards the end of February. The weather was kind to us (mostly grey, overcast clouds – perfect for rainforest photography) and everything was so incredibly green and lush. Our participants all enjoyed the week and many are looking to coming back again soon.

In late October 09 to early Nov 09, I spent 11 glorious days on Norfolk Island, my third trip to this glorious place. This beautiful island sits between Australia and New Zealand, in the South Pacific, and is only a few hours by plane from Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. My time was spent partly having a much-needed break with my wife, Dena, (and helping celebrate her 40^th birthday!) as well as lots of photography. Norfolk Island is only 8km x 5km but there is so much to photograph! Wherever you go, there are sweeping ocean views, stunning cliffs, great sunrises and sunsets, lots of birds and convict ruins. I also had an opportunity to cruise around the island for half a day with a whale research team as well as taking a boat trip to Phillip Island, just 6kms from Norfolk Island, to photograph birds.

Tasman Booby with chick

I also had a lovely surprise whilst on Norfolk, receiving a phone call from Sorrel Wilby, asking if I’d like to catch up. For those that haven’t heard of Sorrel, she is an award-winning adventurer, author of numerous books, tv presenter (including a 9 year stint as presenter on Channel 9′s Getaway program), journalist and keynote speaker. One of her recent projects was to develop a series of documentaries titled “Best of Australia” for Australian Geographic, as well as being Chairperson for the Australian Geographic Society. Dena and I spent a lovely few hours with Sorrel, her husband Chris and kids at their home, sharing stories and experiences. She is a delightful person, so enthusiastic about life and very passionate about nature/wildlife and our environment. It was a pleasure to spend time with her – a real inspiration to me.

Michael with Sorrel Wilby on Norfolk Island

Anson Bay – Norfolk Island

During my stay, I spent time doing research for our proposed Trekabout Photography Workshop 7 day “Norfolk Island Experience”, scouting accommodation venues/photographic locations and talking with Travel Agents. The “Norfolk Island Experience” is set for early November 2010, but details need to be confirmed. For further details (in the not-too-distant future), please visit our photography workshop website www.trekaboutphotography.com

Michael on Phillip Island – off Norfolk Island

While at Norfolk Island, we also had the pleasure of seeing my friend David Warth’s documentary “Rainforest – the secret of life” premier on ABC TV. Feedback to the documentary has been very positive and dvd sales at the ABC Shops have gone through the roof! Having spent so much time helping David and my mentor in photography, Glen Threlfo, during the filming of it, makes this documentary very special to me.

In late November I headed to Tweed Heads, on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, to adjudicate the Tweed Photo Arts Club‘s monthly photography competition. It was great to see both novices and more advanced photographers enter some great photos into their club’s competition.

Late November also saw the opening of the summer season’s exhibitions at the Wilderness Gallery in Cradle Mountain, Tasmania. I’m pleased to announce that twenty of my wildlife photos are displayed there this year, as matted and framed 20″ x 30″ prints. My exhibition is titled “Wildlife of Australia – a nature photographer’s journey” and will be shown at the gallery until Easter 2010. To see the photos I have exhibited, please click here.

The results of the 2009 ANZANG (Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea) Nature Photographer of the Year competition were announced on the 1^stOctober 2009. I’m pleased to announce that five of my images were chosen to be published in the official award winner’s book, two of which are part of the exhibition currently showing at the South Australian Museum (Oct/Nov 09) and which will be travelling to various locations around Australia after that.

The images chosen are:

• Albert’s Lyrebird displaying – Threatened Species (book and exhibition)
• Mantis – Animal Portrait (book and exhibition)
• Breaching Humpback Whale – Animal Behaviour (book)
• Tawny Frogmouth – Animal Portrait (book)
• Bronzewing Pigeon wing – Interpretive (book)

Some great images entered and congrats to the winners!

In early September I travelled with a friend and fellow-photographer, Howard Aron, on a nature photography trip to Kangaroo Island, South Australia. This stunning island has been called the “Galapagos of Australia”, due to its amazing array of native wildlife and the distinct lack of pest species.

Nankeen Kestrel – Kangaroo Island

One of the main reasons for travelling to Kangaroo Island was to photograph the Australian Sea Lions at Seal Bay. Around 600 – 700 of these magnificent mammals live here and I was fortunate to have three attempts to photograph them right on the beach, over three days. Access to the beach is only available via guided tour, either with a tour group or ranger.

Yuraygir N.P – ACF Diary 2010

Also in September, The Australian Conservation Foundation released its 2010 Wilderness Diary, which features 5 of my photos. These include a breaching Humpback Whale, Lace Monitor, Masked Boobies, Red-tailed Tropicbird and kangaroo prints on sand dunes. All profits from the sale of the diaries go to fund the Australian Conservation Foundation and its conservation projects. For more details on ACF, please visit their website: www.acfonline.org.au

Australian Sea Lion juvenile – Kangaroo Island

Just days before we arrived, the island had been battered by weeks of gale-force winds and horrid weather – certainly not conducive to photography! Fortunately for us, the weather was extremely kind and offered made for pleasant living and great photography.

Australian Sea Lion juvenile scratching – Kangaroo Island

A couple of days after arriving back from Kangaroo Island, on the 6^th September 09, it was up to O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat for Trekabout Photography Workshop’s third fully-booked 5 day photography workshop. Dena, my wife, joined me and had a bit of a holiday while Mark and I presented another successful 5 day workshop. The weather was kind to us, lots of photo opportunities and a great bunch of participants made for a fantastic 5 days.

Red-tailed Tropicbird – ACF Diary 2010

On the 6^th of Aug 09, I presented an audio-visual on Australian wildlife at the Queensland Camera Group’s monthly meeting. My presentation was different from the ones I had shown lately, with many new species added. My aim was to show club members some of the techniques that were used to capture the images shown on the night. Mark Rayner, my business partner in Trekabout Photography Workshops, also showed an audio-visual on macro, landscape and wildlife photography. The night was very well received by all in attendance. For anyone interested in finding out more about the Queensland Camera Group, you can visit their website at www.qcg.org.au

During July, I went to the Wet Tropics (Tropical North Queensland) for the fourth time in 2 years, to photograph some of the amazing wildlife endemic to the area. I spent quite a bit of time in the rainforest in Rocky Point, north of Port Douglas, the Daintree, Mossman Gorge and Julatten.

Orange-footed Scrubfowl

Some of the species I photographed included Musky Rat Kangaroos, Spectacled Flying Fox, Lace Monitors, Spotted Catbirds, Macleay’s Honeyeaters, Orange-footed Scrub Fowl, Spangled Drongos and a Grey Goshawk. The weather was very kind to me on this trip and was therefore able to photograph these species unhindered.

From the 6th -8th of June 2009, Caboolture Photography Club hosted the 2009 Photographic Society of Queensland (PSQ) Convention. I was one of the guest speakers, my presentation being an audio-visual on wildlife photography. My aim was to give attendees some technical information behind the photos, stories on how I achieved them and some encouragement along the way. The audio-visual room was standing-room only and my presentation was very well-received. Overall, the convention went smoothly and credit goes to organiser Steve Baker and his committee for a job well done!

A few days later, on the 10th of June 2009, I headed to Tweed Heads on the New South Wales/Queensland border, where I was asked to be guest speaker at the Tweed Photo Arts Club. Once again, I presented an audio-visual on wildlife photography and also critiqued some nature photos brought along by some of the members. I thoroughly enjoyed the night and thanks to Allen Peate (committee member) and his wife for being wonderful hosts. The following morning, I was invited by Allen and some other club members for an early morning shoot of some shore birds along a local lagoon. Species photographed included Intermediate Egrets and White-faced Herons.

Trekabout Photography Workshops presented our second 5 day photography workshop, starting on Sunday 17th May 2009, once again conducted at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park. This workshop was again fully booked out. Regardless of the torrential rain and winds we encountered throughout the week, Mark Rayner and I filled program with lots of photographic activities. During heavy rain, we set up indoor macro shoots, presented audio-visuals, critiqued photos and gave tuition on numerous subjects. When the rain cleared, we all piled out and photographed the amazing amount of birdlife that surrounded our every move, as well as plants, fungi and landscapes. Despite some adverse weather, we again received fantastic feedback and testimonials about the workshop.

The March 2009 issue of Australian Photography Magazine features my photo of an osprey flying with a fish, on their cover. The response to this cover has been fantastic and it’s great to see so many people giving positive feedback. The magazine also features my sixth feature article on nature photography for the magazine, this one being a 6-page article on photographing wildlife behaviour. To read the article, please click on this link: Talk to the Animals – Photographing Wildlife Behaviour

Trekabout Photography Workshops presented our 5 day photography workshop – March 09, starting on Sunday 15th March 2009. It was conducted at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park, south-east Queensland and was completely booked out (maximum of 12 people). Mark Rayner, my business partner in Trekabout, and I were kept quite busy with lots of group tuition, one-on-one tuition, audio-visuals, hands-on photography and 4WD treks to some wonderful locations on O’Reilly’s properties, not accessible to the general public. The weather was kind to us and there were plenty of subjects to photograph. Feedback to our inaugural 5 day workshop was brilliant, with lots of testimonials sent to us from some very happy participants.

On January 28^th 2009, Mark Rayner and I were guest presenters at the Caloundra Camera Group on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Mark’s audio-visual was on our Trekabout Photography Workshops while mine was based around my book on Australian wildlife. We were also co-judges in the club’s monthly photography competition. Some great entries received by some very talented photographers.

On Saturday the 8th of November 2008, Trekabout Photography Workshops were featured on “Weekend Extra” on Channel 9. The segment, shown throughout Queensland, was hosted by Joseph May and featured our “Brisbane Wildlife” workshop. To see the segment, please click on the You Tube link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOIYxWHr_GA

On Sunday the 9th of November 2008, I launched my book “Wildlife of Australia – a nature photographer’s journey” in conjunction with Wildlife Australia Magazine’s 45 year celebration (WAM45). The event was held in the evening at the Griffith Eco Centre in Brisbane and was attended by nearly 80 people. The master-of-ceremonies was Simon Baltais, current President of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland and the night included speeches by Adrian Caneris (past President of WPSQ) who spoke about WAM’s 45 year history. Glen Threlfo, my photographic mentor in the early days, a respected wildlife photographer and nature documentary-maker, did a brief presentation on some of our photographic experiences together. My presentation was last and featured an audio-visual display of images from my book, with explanations on how I achieved particular photos. I ended the night with some book sales and signings. WPSQ also had stalls and displays set up, food and drinks were served and the weather was kind to us. A great night had by all! To see some photos from the night, please click here: http://www.wildlife.org.au/news-wam45.html

On Monday the 17th Of November 2008, I was guest presenter at the Brisbane Camera Group’s “Digital Sub Group”, with over 130 people in attendance. My audio-visual presentation was titled “My journey so far” and included a selection of wildlife images taken over the last 11 years. It was followed by a presentation by my friend and business partner in Trekabout Photography Workshops, Mark Rayner, on our various photographic workshops. The third and last presentation was a series of nature-based audio-visuals by my friend Darren Jew, who also worked tirelessly on the image preparation for my book.

The next day, I headed to the Bunya Mountains in Queensland, for a three day photo-shoot, with nature photographer Paul Huntley. The weather over the three days was quite varied and included thick mist, evening thunderstorms, blue skies and amazing sunsets. Highlights included photographing a male Satin Bowerbird displaying at his bower.

Respected nature documentary-maker David Warth’s latest documentary “Rainforest – the secret of life” features my photography on the front and back cover of the dvd jacket. David has been a friend for many years and I was with him during the filming of many segments of this documentary, photographing along side him. It also features footage by my photographic mentor, Glen Threlfo. The documentary will be shown prime time on the ABC in the not-too-distant future and is also now available as a dvd in ABC shops throughout Australia. It also recently won a “Gold Award – Wildlife and Nature Films” at the Australian Cinematographer’s Society Awards. Congratulations, David!

On the 1st of October 2008, my new book “WILDLIFE OF AUSTRALIA – a nature photographer’s journey” was released.

The book has been extremely well-received from all quarters. It is a 200 page hard-covered, coffee table book featuring Australia’s diverse wildlife species.

The October 2008 issue of Australian Photography Magazine features my photo of a White-lipped Green Tree Frog as their cover shot.

The South Australian Museum has used my photo of an Eastern Pygmy Possum as the “hero” image for their exhibition titled Balancing the Energy Equation, using it on the exhibition entry panel, large posters throughout the exhibition, invitations and museum newsletter. The exhibition runs from the 27th of September to the 16th of November 2008.

BBC Wildlife Magazine published my article and photos on the Albert’s Lyrebird in their September 2008 issue. This magazine is read by over 500 000 readers in 87 different countries. It was a pleasure to deal with such a professional magazine and I was very pleased with the final layout of the article. Please click on the link to view a pdf version of the article. “Longing for Lyrebirds” – BBC Wildlife Magazine – Sep 2008. Please click on this link to see BBC Wildlife Magazine’s website.

Wingspan magazine (Birds Australia) has used my photo of an Osprey powering out of the water with a fish, for their Wingspan cover – September 2008.

During August, I took a number of trips to the Gold Coast, Queensland to photograph the majestic Humpback Whale. I did this onboard the 24 metre catamaran “Spirit of the Gold Coast“and at different times was able to photograph these majestic creatures performing various behaviours, including breaching. An amazing experience and one I hope to repeat in the future.

From Tuesday the 19th of August until Friday the 22nd of August 2008, I presented a “Nature Photography Break“at Binna Burra Mountain Lodge, in Lamington National Park. It was great to be presenting a photo workshop in the mountains once again. Participants learned numerous photography techniques over the 3 days and nights, in the stunning surrounds of Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast hinterland, Queensland.

In the winter of 1997, I started photographing nature and my first major project was photographing the male Albert’s Lyrebird displaying. I finally succeeded after 7 laborious weeks of sitting daily in a cramped hide (blind) and was only the fourth known photographer to achieve this feat. A few weeks ago, I decided to try and replicate this achievement again, but this time using a digital SLR camera, a higher quality lens and better, state-of-the-art flash units. As with the first time, I arose daily well before dawn, set up my equipment in the dark and sat and waited in my tiny hide, in the cold. After many days of trying over 2 weeks and numerous near-misses and mishaps, I finally succeeded once again in photographing the Albert’s Lyrebird male displaying . The time, effort and frustrations that went into photographing the lyrebird were at times very taxing, but well worth the end result.

Two of my feature articles appear in magazines this month. Australian Photography magazine has published my four page article on outdoor photography techniques titled “Improving Outdoors” in their June 2008 issue. Wingspan magazine (Birds Australia) has also published my three page article on Satin Bowerbirds, titled “The Playboy of the Forest”, in their June 2008 issue.

Display Board. Osprey House, Queensland

Osprey House Environmental Centre , in Griffin, Queensland has used four of my osprey photos on a large, three metre display board. The four images show a sequence of events, starting with the osprey ready to pounce for a fish and finishing with it flying away with its catch. I visited the centre recently to look at the final product and it certainly looks impressive hanging on their feature wall.

I have joined forces with a Victorian-based company, Auswalk, to act as leader for their 4 day “Lamington Nature Photography Walk” in October 2008 and again in Feb 2009. To read about the tours, click on this link: http://www.auswalk.com.au/lamington-nature-photography-walking-holiday.html

In September 2007, Trekabout Photography Workshops was featured on the Great South East, a popular Channel 7 lifestyle program. The program is shown throughout Queensland and featured a segment that revolved around our nature photography workshops. I’m pleased to announce that this segment was repeated on Sunday 13th of January 2008 at 5.30pm .

Channel 7 – Great South East, Sunday at 5.30pm

Early Dec 2007 saw the release of a new wildlife book titled “Australian Journey – Wildlife”, of which I am co-author with two other professional nature photographers, Andrew Teakle and Debra Doenges. This book is primarily a coffee table-style book, showcasing Australia’s unique and beautiful wildlife. The book is in hardcover, 128 pages and published by New Holland. It is one part of a four-part nature and landscape series, titled “Australian Journey” and is available in many bookshops throughout Australia.

The Queensland Wildlife Artist’s Society Incorporated (QWASI) chose me as their featured nature photographer for their biennial “International Wildlife” exhibition. This exhibition was held at the Logan Art Gallery from the 26th of November 2007 until the 5th of January 2008. I displayed six of my favourite wildlife photos, alongside the works of some of Australia’s best wildlife artists.

In the second week of December, I travelled to Bundjalung National Park in northern New South Wales with my friend Andrew Teakle, co-author of “Australian Journey – Wildlife” for three days of photography. We camped right near the beach and arose before sunrise each morning, in readiness for some landscape photography at Black Rocks and surrounding areas. This area is stunningly beautiful and well worth visiting.

I have been asked by Wildlife Australia Magazine to be their regular wildlife photography columnist . The page is called Trekabout Photography and my first one was printed in the summer 2007 issue, featuring my photo of an Eastern Pygmy Possum. Each issue focuses on one particular photo and how I went about taking this photo.

The December 2007 issue of Australian Photography magazine published my article on how to photograph Australian mammals, titled “Furry Encounters” as one of their feature articles. It is on page 38 and is the fourth feature I have written for this magazine in the past 2 years.

In early November, I travelled to Casino in northern New South Wales to spend a couple of days photographing birds at the Jabiru Geneebeinga wetlands. I also travelled to Byron Bay for a day and photographed birds at the West-Byron wetlands. At both locations I did most of my photography either early in the morning or late afternoon, trying to capture the subtle light.

On November 12th, Mark Rayner and I, as co-owners of Trekabout Photography Workshops, did a presentation each at the Photographic Society of Queensland’s Annual Barbecue. Mark did an audiovisual presentation on macro photography techniques while mine was on wildlife photography techniques.

Mid-November also saw Mark Rayner and I conduct our first weekend photographic workshop at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat/Lamington National Park in south-east Queensland. The weekend went extremely well and was deemed a success by all those who attended.

On November 24th, I presented a one-day nature photography workshop for members of the public, hosted by the Pine Rivers Shire Council. It was held at Mt Glorious in Brisbane, right in the heart of the rainforest and was attended by some very enthusiastic participants.

The results of the ANZANG Nature and Landscape “Photographer of the Year Competition”2007 have been released and I’m pleased to announce that I won two highly commended awards. The first was in the “Animal Behaviour” section with my photo of a Pacific Baza with chick, bringing a stick to the nest. The second award was in the “Threatened Animals and Plants” section with a photo of a Northern Quoll. The competition this year had 1250 entries, a record for this competition thus far.

Trekabout Photography Workshops was featured on the Great South East, a popular Channel 7 lifestyle program. It was aired on Sunday 23rd of September, at 5.30pm. The program is shown throughout Queensland and featured a segment that revolved around our nature photography workshops. www.trekaboutphotography.com

Channel 7 – Great South East, Sunday at 5.30pm

After my successful trip to Far North Queensland in July, I again had an opportunity to return there, to work on a couple of new projects. I took photos in Mossman Gorge as well as returning to the Daintree River and Port Douglas mangroves. Some of my wildlife subjects included Ospreys, Brahminy Kites and Saltwater Crocodiles, as well as various landscapes. It certainly is a beautiful part of the world and I look forward to returning there sometime in the future.

In July, I spent 6 glorious days photographing the wildlife and landscapes of Far North Queensland . Most of my time was divided between photographing in the Daintree rainforest, on a boat on the Daintree River and cruising the mangroves of Port Douglas inlet. While I was there, the Weekend Australian Magazine commissioned me to do a shoot for an up-and-coming feature on Rainforest Rescue and their Daintree “Buy Back and Protect Forever”Project. www.rainforestrescue.org.au

Trekabout Photography Workshops is launched as a business partnership with my good friend and nature photographer, Mark Rayner. Our first full-day nature photography workshop is held at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park, south-east Queensland on the 16th of June, 2007. The day consists of Mark and I showing participants techniques on wildlife, landscape and macro photography, lots of one-on-one tuition, explaining digital technology as well as some post-processing/computer techniques. Feedback from the day is extremely positive and certainly a great start to our new venture. For more details regarding our one and two day photographic workshops, please visit www.trekaboutphotography.com

My article on “Frog and Reptile Photography Techniques”was chosen as the feature article for the June 2007 issue of Australia’s best-selling photography magazine, Australian Photography. This issue also featured my photo of a Magnificent Tree Frog as the cover shot. This is my third feature article for Australian Photography , following an article on “Bird Photography Techniques”(March 2006) and “Alternate Landscape Photography Techniques”(Nov 2006).

Wildlife Australia Magazineused my photos of various Australian quolls, to accompany an informative article by Martin Fingland for its autumn 2007 issue. My photo of a Northern Quoll was also used on the cover.

Since the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland was founded in 1962, its flagship journal, Wildlife Australia Magazine, has played a pivotal role in encouraging public awareness of vital conservation goals.

In February, my wife Dena and I travelled to Norfolk Island for 10 days. Some of the time was spent photographing the scenery of the island but emphasis was placed on getting photos of the large array of birds flying around the coastline. On a number of mornings, I was “perched”(pun intended!) on Bird Rock, photographing the various birds flying past me at fantastic speeds – a real challenge indeed. One bird in particular that I concentrated quite a bit of time on was the beautiful Red-tailed Tropic Bird, getting flight shots as well as finding a few nests with chicks in abandoned Mutton Bird nests.

Starting on February 25th, I presented “Binna Burra Photography Week” at Binna Burra Mountain Lodge, Lamington National Park, south-east Queensland. This is my fifth time presenting this nature photography course at Binna Burra and each one has been a great experience for all. Topics covered included wildlife, landscape and macro photography techniques, correct settings for different situations, lighting, digital technology as well as reviewing and critiquing participant’s photos.

Wildlife Australia Magazine used my photos of various Australian pythons, to accompany a feature article by Martin Fingland and Greg Prostamo, for its summer 2006 issue. My photo of a Green Tree Python was also used as the cover photo.

A book titled “A Guide to Lamington National Park” is released by the Lamington Natural History Association and features my photo of Antarctic Beech Trees on the cover. The book is published by Envirobook.

In October, I judged the annual “Brian Hall Nature Photography Awards”, hosted by the Gold Coast Photographic Society. Choosing winners and places was quite difficult, due to the high quality of entrants. The overall winner of the competition was Rob Nicholls, from the Gold Coast, with his stunning portrait of a gorilla.